CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte high school teacher was suspended earlier this month following allegations of misconduct.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) said Brian Zelk was suspended with pay on October 1.
"Concerns about possible inappropriate behavior by a CMS employee at Ardrey Kell have been brought to the attention of law enforcement and CMS Human Resources. At this time, these concerns do not involve current CMS students," said David Switzer, principal of Ardrey Kell, in a call to parents.
Zelk was hired in August 1996. He teaches math at Ardrey Kell High School, and an athletic handbook for 2018-2019 lists Zelk as the head coach of the men's cross country team, men's track team, and women's track team.
Tanetta Bailey, the mother of a student at Ardrey Kell, said parents weren’t notified about the teacher’s suspension until Tuesday.
"I hope they give us some more information, and I hope they keep our kids safe,” Bailey said. “I appreciate the call, even though it's a week or two late."
She said school officials told parents they couldn’t provide more details into the allegations due to the ongoing investigation, leaving her with many more questions.
"How close was that person to my child, or did my child have that teacher?” Bailey said. “Or does she know about it? You know, what's going on? You know, so all kind of things go through your mind."
Matthew Nestor, a senior at Ardrey Kell, said he had Coach Zelk as a teacher for Advanced Functions of Modeling.
"I thought he was a really nice guy, super friendly to me, super friendly to everyone,” Nestor said, “but I had no idea this was going on."
Nestor described Zelk as a thorough teacher and said he was good at explaining concepts to students.
“He was really strict on showing your work, but I guess that was a good thing at the end of the day,” Nestor said. “It really helped me. I got a good grade in his class."
While Zelk is suspended, Switzer told parents in a statement, "Classes taught by the teacher in question are being covered by another math teacher who is well qualified and supported to ensure that our focus at Ardrey Kell remains on teaching and learning. Counseling support is available to any student or staff member by making a request to any school leader.”
